Portland Building Department | Permits, Inspections & Contact

The City of Portland Bureau of Development Services (BDS) is the building and development authority inside Portland city limits. Portland is in Multnomah County, but a Portland mailing address does not make a project a county permit. Properties in Gresham, Fairview, Troutdale, Wood Village, and other incorporated jurisdictions use their own permit offices.

Portland building permits and Development Hub PDX

Start with BDS permit guidance and identify whether the project needs building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, land-use, tree, erosion-control, or right-of-way approvals. Portland’s permit review may involve multiple city bureaus, and zoning or land-use review can be required before or alongside a building permit. Portland Maps is the city’s public property and permit-information tool for researching addresses and historic permit records.

For current applications and project activity, use the city’s Development Hub PDX workflow linked from the official inspection page. Keep the permit number, approved plans, site information, and required bureau approvals together for review.

Inspections, zoning, code compliance, and occupancy

Portland requires inspections for the work listed on the permit. The city’s official schedule-inspection page supports online requests through Development Hub PDX and provides the 24-hour IVR line at 503-823-7000. Residential inspection support is 503-823-7388 and commercial inspection support is 503-823-7303.

Do not cover work until the required inspection has been approved. Final building, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, fire, and other approvals may be needed before a project is complete or eligible for occupancy. Use BDS zoning and code guides for Portland-specific requirements rather than assuming that the statewide specialty code answers every land-use question.

Official contact information

BDS lists its Development Services Center at 1900 SW 4th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97201, with a main phone number of 503-823-7300. Use BDS for city permits and Portland zoning questions; use Multnomah County only for the county’s unincorporated jurisdiction.